Norway discovery: Rare 4,000-year-old stone tomb found near Halden

Archaeologists have uncovered a rare prehistoric stone burial chamber near Halden in southeastern Norway. Located on the Svinesund plateau near the Swedish border, the discovery was made during investigations ahead of a large industrial development.

The stone cist, or ‘ahellekiste’, is estimated to be approximately 4,000 years old, potentially dating to the transition between the Stone Age and the Bronze Age. While such chambers are common in Sweden and Denmark, they are rare in Norway, with only about 20 such finds recorded to date.

The tomb was constructed using large stone slabs and a floor made of smaller stones. Excavations yielded an amber bead, an arrowhead, and a fragment of cord-stamp decorated pottery. Notably, the site lacked a flint dagger, an item typically found in comparable Norwegian graves that may have been associated with warriors.